muffin-theme-viewer

muffin-theme-viewer [options]

-h, --help
    Displays a help message with available command-line options.


--display=DISPLAY
    Specifies the X display to use for displaying the theme viewer window. This is useful in multi-display or remote X sessions.


--theme=PATH
    Loads a specific Muffin theme from the provided directory PATH. This allows testing themes that are not installed in the system's default theme locations.

muffin-theme-viewer is a specialized utility within the Cinnamon desktop environment, designed primarily for developers and theme creators. It provides a visual sandbox to preview and test Muffin window manager themes without the need to log out or restart the desktop session.

When launched, it opens a window displaying various mock windows, titlebars, buttons, and other decorative elements that Muffin themes customize. This allows theme developers to quickly iterate on their designs, observing how different window states (active, inactive, maximized, minimized) and elements appear with the applied theme. It helps ensure consistent visual styling and proper rendering of theme assets.

It's not intended for general users to manage themes, but rather as a crucial tool in the theme development workflow for the Muffin window manager, which is a core component of Cinnamon.

muffin-theme-viewer is an application-specific tool for the Cinnamon desktop environment's Muffin window manager.
It requires a running X server to function, as it displays a graphical user interface.
It is not a general-purpose theme manager; actual theme selection and application for users are handled via Cinnamon's System Settings.
Its primary utility is for theme development and debugging, not typical end-user interaction.

The command provides a mock environment for Muffin themes, showcasing various window elements like titlebars, close/minimize/maximize buttons, borders, and different window states (active, inactive, maximized, etc.). This visual feedback is invaluable for theme designers to ensure their themes look consistent and function correctly across various scenarios.

Unlike user-facing theme managers, muffin-theme-viewer is a low-level development tool. It does not alter your current system theme, but rather opens a separate window to render the specified or current Muffin theme's window decorations, making it safe for experimentation.

muffin-theme-viewer was developed as part of the Cinnamon desktop environment by the Linux Mint team. It emerged alongside the Muffin window manager (a fork of GNOME's Mutter) to provide essential tooling for theme creators. As Cinnamon themes became more sophisticated, a dedicated viewer became necessary to facilitate rapid iteration and testing of window decorations without constant session restarts, streamlining the development process for Muffin themes.

cinnamon-settings themes(1), muffin(1), cinnamon(1)